Is it the role of a craftman to be innovative?

A craftman is a person who excel in his field but is never satisfied of it. He is implicated and concerned by every step of his work in aim to do it the best he could. Strong values or stories lead him to executing with passion and respect what his specific task is.

But is that a situation which should be called static? As much as he masters a certain field, shouldn't he be in charge of the evolution of his art too? How far could that be applied to an "innovative state of mind"?

Are you a craftman? Do you see yourself as a craftman? How do you see your responsabilities? Would you call thoses "responsabilities"?...

Mar 8 2012:
Craftspeople and others engaged in making things work within a problem space. This is to say, they typically make something to meet certain requirements and constraints. Quite naturally as they gain mastery, they come to find better ways of executing the choices and skills of the craft. There are some routines involved and some experimentation, particularly if different projects involve different requirements and constraints.That said, in many lines of work, people are hired into positions in which the employer prefers that they not innovate. It is a common choice, if a sad one, for employers to be "risk averse" about experimentation. In other words, some employers will not want to risk letting individuals experiment and perhaps waste materials or time when the experiment does not succeed. So a craftsperson may well find himself in an environment in which the employer does not want to use the craftsperson's skills to the full.

Mar 8 2012:
It's the role of a craftsman to exercise his craft. For some that may include pushing the boundaries of what they do, or of the craft itself. Others choose to exercise high standards in something they are familiar with. Both approaches are valuable. Both are valid. It's up to the craftsman do decide which approach suits them, not for anyone else to tell them what they should do.

One major problem today is the drive for constant innovation, at the expense of learning to do something well. There is nothing wrong with innovation, but today's society appears to be devaluing hard won production skills. this is leading to a wide range of companies which over-promise and under-deliver.

Mar 8 2012:
I cannot call myself a craftsman, but I managed to know some in different fields: Teaching, Software Engineering, Infrastructure Engineering (mostly telecommunications), Music, Interior Design and others.

Every single time, there was something that singled those people out from the pack: First, they would do the same work as anyone, but much faster and without errors.

The second characteristic is that they would become so proficient in the "traditional" way of doing things that they would become able to introduce new details, procedures and ways of seeing the craft.

The new forms weren't always better, but usually, through trial and error, impressive novelties would arise, causing awe in those around.

So, from my point of view, the craftsman responsibilities would be (in an almost chronological fashion): To fully understand what needs to be done. To learn and master how it's done. Tho embrace why it is done in this way. Tho grow a deep conscience of all things that came before. To envision what can be done better. To try the new ways of doing and selecting the best ones and finally to pass this knowledge forward.

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